onboarding - selectionpartners.com.auselectionpartners.com.au/download/ebooks/onboarding.pdf ·...

ONBOARDING

The Key to Retention & Performance

Level 4, 607 Bourke Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Ph: 03 9832 8100

Level 8, 99 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 3000 Ph: 02 9190 8444

ABN 71 154 647 784 selectionpartners.com.au [email protected]

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Contents

ONBOARDING The Key to Retention & Performance ....................................................................................... 3

WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT? ..................................................................................................................... 3

WHAT IS ONBOARDING? .............................................................................................................................. 4

AREAS OF IMPORTANCE IN ONBOARDING .................................................................................................. 4

THE ROLE OF A MENTOR / BUDDY ............................................................................................................... 6

ROLE OF AN EXTERNAL COACH .................................................................................................................... 6

ONBOARDING Checklists .................................................................................................................................. 7

BEFORE YOUR NEW EMPLOYEE STARTS ...................................................................................................... 7

FIRST DAY ..................................................................................................................................................... 8

FIRST WEEK - MONTH .................................................................................................................................. 9

FIRST THREE MONTHS ............................................................................................................................... 10

FIRST SIX MONTHS ..................................................................................................................................... 10

FIRST YEAR [BETWEEN SIX AND TWELVE MONTHS] .................................................................................. 11

ABOUT Selection Partners .............................................................................................................................. 12




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WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT?

Congratulations on hiring your new employee.

I am sure you will agree it takes a lot of the time and effort to attract and secure a new employee. Given

that good people are so hard to find, our aim with this eBook is to provide information to help you retain

and engage your valuable new talent.

Research shows that the trajectory of your new employee’s success is set as early as the first two weeks, it

is therefore important to make their initial experience special. This is where a good onboarding program

comes into play. Strong onboarding programs assure your new employee feels valued and has all the

necessary tools to succeed. It also ensures they fully understand their role and their relationship to your

organisation’s bigger picture.

Onboarding helps your new employee learn what is expected, how to deliver it and how and when they will

be evaluated.

86 % of respondents felt a new employee’s decision to stay with a company long term, is made within the

first six months of employment. Aberdeen Group

For these reasons and many more, regardless of organisation size, it’s so important to get the onboarding

of your new employee right.

“When onboarding is successful, new employees will feel more

engaged, they’ll be more motivated to perform well, and they will be

much more ready to contribute to the bottom line” Aberdeen Group

ONBOARDING

The Key to Retention & Performance




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Your employees are

going to get orientated

whether you plan for it

or not.

But if you do plan it,

it's a lot more likely

to be successful.

WHAT IS ONBOARDING?

Often induction, and onboarding are used interchangeably, but there are significant differences between

them. Induction generally refers to the process of filling out forms, getting an overview of employment

benefits, structure and so on. This is what all organisations do.

Onboarding is a longer-term process that focuses on helping your new employees become a part of your

organisation, build crucial relationships, understand their role and learn how they add value. This will help

them succeed because it explains what they need to do and achieve and what assistance they can expect.

Onboarding needs to start the moment your new employee has accepted your employment offer. The

duration of onboarding programs varies, however the overall objectives – to ensure that your new employee

feels connected to your organisation, builds key relationships and understands how he or she fits in to the

overall mission and values – are the same, regardless of the length of the programme. Be aware however

that the more senior the person joining your organisation, the more tailored and flexible the program needs

to be.

When onboarding is done correctly it leads to;

• Higher job satisfaction

• Organisational commitment

• Lower turnover

• Higher & quicker performance levels

• Career effectiveness

• Lower stress

And don’t we all want the above for our new employees?

AREAS OF IMPORTANCE IN ONBOARDING

Onboarding is most effective when you have a written onboarding plan. This is a formal roadmap containing

all the important and necessary information which outlines specific time lines, goals, responsibilities and

support available to your new employee.

The most effective onboarding plans when written, are then communicated to all members of the

organisation, consistently applied and tracked over time.

At Selection Partners, we believe a good onboarding program consists of six key areas. These include;

Prestart Role ClarityCulture &

Organisation Learning Connection Feedback




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We recognise many organisations have great onboarding programs in place. If for any reason your

organisation doesn’t or you think the process could be improved, we are pleased to provide you with the

following information which may be of assistance to you.

Key Area 1. Prestart

“We suggest you engage with your new employee during their

resignation period and before they commence employment with you.

This demonstrates you care and truly value them.”

2. Role clarity “When your new employee starts be clear about what you expect of

them in the role.”

3. Culture & Organisation

Understanding

“Sometimes we don’t see our culture until someone breaks it! By

then, for a new employee, the poor impression has been made”

4. Learning “It’s best for new employees to deep dive into learning in the first

few months, so they can be productive more quickly”

5. Connection “When people feel included, make networks & friends, they are

more loyal and engaged”

6. Feedback “Your new employee needs to have valuable feedback on what they

are doing well and what they need to change or improve to be

successful. It’s your role to tell them”

According to one estimate,

60% of people who fail to onboard successfully

cite failure to establish effective working relationships

as the primary reason.




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THE ROLE OF A MENTOR / BUDDY

Your new employee’s onboarding is greatly

enhanced by assigning a Buddy, a fellow

employee (other than the manager) who

provides advice and guidance on the different

aspects of working at your organisation. Having

a Buddy results in an increase in comfort with

their new organisation.

When selecting a Buddy make sure the person

will be positive and helpful, also ensure they

have time to be accessible and available to the

employee. They need to have strong

communication skills, exemplifies your values, has patience, empathy, is well regarded and trusted by others.

In assisting your new employee settle in and become productive a Buddy serves as a valuable resource for

connecting them with people they need to know and how to get things done in your organisation.

Typically, these Buddy relationships last, six-months. The Buddy and your new employee need to meet

during the first week (ideally for breakfast or lunch, if possible). Suggest and then allow the Buddy and

employee to decide on the frequency, length, topics, and method of interaction between the two of them.

Buddy structures vary and this is OK. What’s important is that the arrangement is clearly defined and

works for your new employee and the Buddy.

ROLE OF AN EXTERNAL COACH

External coaches can be especially important for executive onboarding, where the stakes are high. An

objective coach can help new executives by offering a safe sounding board for ideas and approaches.

External coaches can also help new executives prepare for their onboarding process before they start with

your organisation as well as assisting with any challenges they encounter in their new role/organisation.

*An onboarding study questioned over 1,000 people about their experiences starting new jobs and what

was most important to them. A startling 31 percent of respondents had quit their role within six months of

starting it. Below are the reasons;

23 % of respondents said they weren’t given, clear guidelines to what their responsibilities were.

21 % said they wanted “more effective training.”

17 % said, “a friendly smile or helpful co-worker would have made all the difference.”

12 % said they wanted to be “recognized for [their] unique contributions.”

9 % said they wanted more attention from the “manager and co-workers.”

*BamboHR




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A structured onboarding process is designed to ensure your employee is fully engaged in their new role –

applies their skills and knowledge, makes sound decisions, contributes to team goals, understands how

his/her role interacts with others in your organisation, and develops effective working relationships.

The below is a detailed check list of onboarding activities.

BEFORE YOUR NEW EMPLOYEE STARTS

Create a Clear and Formal Onboarding Plan

New Manager to call your new employee:

o Confirm start date, time, place, parking, dress code, etc.

o Invite the new employee to meet their team before they start.

o Identify computer needs and requirements.

o Provide name of their onboarding buddy if one has been allocated.

o Send and ask your new employee to complete any pre-employment forms/paperwork needed, to save overloading them on their first day.

Add regularly scheduled meetings (e.g. staff and department) into your new employee’s calendar.

Email any newsletters, LinkedIn or Facebook requests or internal communications to your new employee.

Plan the employee’s first assignment.

Socialisation

Set up meetings with critical people for the employee’s first few weeks.

Arrange for lunch with the appropriate people or buddy for the first day and during first week.

Meet with the buddy; provide suggestions and tips of how they can support and help onboard the new employee.

Send a copy of your organisations social, sport or volunteer calendar.

Arrange for a tour of the organisation.

Work Environment

Put together welcome pack include: job description, welcome letter, contact names and phone lists, parking and transportation information, mission and values, organisation chart, best coffee shops, learning information, technology, glossary of buzz words and acronyms, pens, gifts, gym membership info, water bottle, mugs, etc.

Create a new employee frequently asked questions sheet.

Clean the work area, set up office space with supplies and order business cards.

Order office or work area key(s)/pass(s) and arrange for parking, if needed.

Send announcement email of new starter.

ONBOARDING

Checklists




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Technology Access

Order technology equipment (computer, printer, iPad) and software.

Contact IT to have the system set up in advance.

Add employee to relevant email lists.

Arrange for access to common drives, and coordinate any systems authorizations.

Arrange for phone installation.

Create access to any social media (Yammer, WhatsApp or similar)

Training & Development

Ask your new employee to sign up for any in-person New Employee Induction sessions, you may be running.

Arrange any training required for the job.

FIRST DAY

Schedule, Job Duties, and Expectations

Ensure a friendly welcome email is sent from Senior Management/Executive/ MD etc

Clarify the first week’s schedule, and confirm required and recommended training.

Outline vision, mission, goals and values.

Provide an overview of the functional area – its purpose, organizational structure, and goals.

Review job description, outline of duties, and expectations, the brand and feel of the organisation.

Describe how your new employee’s job fits in the company.

Review hours of work. Explain policies and procedures for overtime, use of holiday and sick leave, etc.

Explain any flexible work policies or procedures.

Provide expectations for the first week / month.

Socialisation

Be available to greet the employee on the first day.

Introduce employee to others in the workplace.

Introduce employee to his/her buddy.

Take employee out for coffee or to lunch.

Explain organisational norms, both formal and informal.

Explain anything that is likely to be unique to your organisation that the new employee could unwittingly demonstrate a faux pas, such as; how to behave in meetings when you disagree, how much it too much to drink at work social gatherings, the tone of your emails, what type of jokes are acceptable and those that are not.




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Work Environment

Give employee key(s) and building access card.

Provide department or building-specific safety and emergency information.

Take employee on a organisation tour to meet the different departments.

Show all coffee / tea making facilities.

Explain how to get additional supplies.

Technology Access and Related

Provide information on setting up voicemail and computer.

Provide access to any online employee handbook/policies/onboarding tools.


Contact Selection Partners if you would like to engage an on-boarding coach.

Provide examples and stories of how people have learnt and what they have achieved.

Explain how you want the person to learn and your expectations over time.

FIRST WEEK - MONTH

Schedule, Job Duties and Expectations

Schedule and conduct regularly occurring one-on-one meetings.

Continue to provide timely, on-going, meaningful “everyday feedback.”

Elicit feedback from the employee and be available to answer questions.

Explain the performance management process and compensation system.

Discuss performance and professional development goals. Give your new employee assignments to complete or specific projects.

Provide feedback to your Selection Partners consultant or coach, who worked with you to secure your new employee.

Socialisation

Continue introducing employee to key people and invite them to relevant events.

Meet with employee and Buddy to review first weeks and answer questions.

Organise for other department heads to outline how their roles interact.

Create networking opportunities.




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Ensure employee is signed up for necessary training.

Ensure employee has attended any Human Resources New Employee Onboarding.

Create a 30/60/90/120 – up to one year goals. Ensure your new employee knows exactly what is expected of them at each stage.

Manager needs to obtain feedback from peers, other stakeholders and direct reports then feed this back to the new employee in a positive and supportive manner.

Manager needs to ensure any problems or concerns are picked up before they become issues.

FIRST THREE MONTHS


Continue having regularly occurring one-on-one meetings.

Meet for informal three-month performance check-in.

Continue giving employee assignments that are challenging yet doable.

Create written performance goals and professional development goals.

Discuss appropriate flexible work options.

Socialisation

Have employee “shadow” you at meetings to get exposure to others and learn more about the area and organisation.

Have a check-in with the employee and buddy.

Take employee out to lunch, and have informal conversation about how things are going.

Training and Development

Ensure employee attended a New Employee Onboarding session. Request the employee provide feedback on the sessions and share as appropriate.

Ask if needed training is completed.

FIRST SIX MONTHS


Conduct six-month performance review.

Review progress on performance goals and professional development goals.

Review on-board coaching with the Executive Coach, if one was appointed.




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Socialisation

Create an opportunity for employee to attend or be involved in an activity outside of their work area.

Invite employee to any events and introduce them to others.

Meet with employee and Buddy at the end of their structured buddy-relationship. Discuss how things went and what else would be helpful for the employee.

FIRST YEAR [BETWEEN SIX AND TWELVE MONTHS]

Schedule, Job Duties & Expectations

Obtain feedback from Key Stakeholders on your new employee’s performance.

Celebrate successes and recognise your new employee’s contributions.

Continue providing regular informal and formal feedback during the six monthly and annual review processes.

Have a conversation with employee about his/her experience to date:

o Extent to which your employee’s expectations of role and your organisation aligns with reality.

o Extent your employee’s skills and knowledge are being utilised and ways to better utilise them; what’s working, what they need more of, etc.

o Begin discussing the year ahead.

Socialisation

Solicit your employee’s feedback and suggestions on ways to improve the onboarding experience. Do this one-on-one or with a small group of new employees.

Training and Development

Discuss employee’s professional development goals and identify relevant learning opportunities.




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Selection Partners is a talent consulting firm. We work with organisations and individuals through all areas

of their careers via our four service areas:

Our approach is to partner with organisations nationally to help them achieve their talent objectives. We

focus on ‘the difference that makes the difference’.

We hope your new recruit is an outstanding addition to your organisation and that this eBook provides some

ideas to help you onboard them successfully.

Written by June Parker, Director Selection Partners.

June is an ICF accredited coach and the Leader of the HR Consulting team.

For more information on On-board Coaching please email your consultant or June directly, on

[email protected]. Please also visit our website www.selectionpartners.com.au for more

eBooks on how to recruit, develop or transition your valuable people.

ABOUT

Selection Partners

Helping organisations attract

and recruit the best talent

Helping individuals and

organisations adapt to change Building competence

through coaching and training

Outplacement and

managing careers

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.selectionpartners.com.au/

onboarding - selectionpartners.com.auselectionpartners.com.au/download/ebooks/onboarding.pdf ·...

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